Door closer



w. F. MOORE DOOR CLOSER July 23,1931.

Filed Aug. 13, 1928 M E Moore avwe/ntoz I room in which the i oompanying Patented July 28, 1931 mussel UNITED STATES PATENT 0 m WALLACE F. MOORE, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN HARDWARE CORPORATION, OF NEW BRITAIN,

CONNECTICUT I CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF noon cLosnn Application filed August 13, 1928. Serial No. 299,172.

My invention relates to door closers, and has special reference to such devices that are particularly adapted for use on safety doors whereby, when the temperature of a device is installed reaches a predetermined degree, the door .will be closed automatically.

An object of the invention is to provide a door closer of this character which is simple in construction and reliable in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a 1 thermally controlled hold-back'device for-door closers in which there are no I parts that are liable to be aflected by corrosion so; as not to operate properly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character inwhich the parts thereof are conveniently arranged,

present no unsightly appearance, and may be easily reset and adjusted.

The several features of the invention, whereby-the above mentioned and other objects may be attained, will be clearly under stood from the following description and acdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation. partly in section, of a door closer embodying the features of the invention in their preferred form, shown applied to a door and door frame, the door being shown open; 7

Fig. 2 is a plan view, on a reduced scale, of'a portion of the door'closer; Fig. 3 is a detail sectional plan view taken on the line 33'0f Fig. 1; and I r Fig. 4 is a view corresponding, to a portion of Fig. 1 but showing certain parts of the hold-back device of the door closer in different positions.

The door closer illustrated in the drawings is shown applied to a door case or frame 2 and a door4, the door being shown open. The door closer comprises the usual casing 6 which is secured to the door, and a spring actuated door-closing arm 8which is connected by a loop 10. a connecting rod 12 and a bracket 14, with the door frame. The spring actuated arm 8 carries a double detent or pawl 16 for engagementwith the teeth of a ratchet wheel 18 connected to the doorclosing spring in the usual manner. A ring 20 is adjustably secured to the upper end of v I the casing 6 and pocket 24. This pocket 24 is adapted to receive a downwardly spring-pressed detent 26 carried by the springactuated arm 8, and when the detent is receivedin said pocket under the pressure of its spring, it is adapted to hold the door open. Asshown, this detent comprises a ball which is received in the lower end of a vertical aperture 28 in the spring-actuated arm 8, and is pressed downwardly, when the ball is in said pocket by means of a plunger 30 mounted in said aperture which in'turn is acted upon by a coiled spring 32 interposed between the upper end of the plunger and a screw plug 34. The downwardly spring pressed plunger 30 is provided with aflange that engages a stop shoulder-in said aperture 28 so as to limit the downward movement of the plunger, so that when the ball 26 rides out of its pocket and as it leaves the stop plate 22 it drops out of. engagement with the lower end of the plunger and thus is permitted to rotate freely during ment of the door. I

Except as hereinafter described. the parts above referred to may be and preferably are the same as the corresponding-parts of the door closer described and claimed in applicants pending application, Ser. No. 199,514, filed June 1-7, 1927.

In accordance with the present invention, novel and improved thermally controlled means is provided for releasing the tension of the detent spring 82 so as to render said spring and its associated detent plunger 80 inoperative to hold the detent ball 26 in its said pocket, and thus permit the spring-actuated arm 8 to close the door when the temthe completion of the closing move- 4 carries a plate 22 having a perature in the room reaches a predetermined degree. As shown, this means comprises a lever 36 mounted'on the top of the spring 34 for the detent spring 32. The lever 36 is detachably fulcruined on the arm 8 by means of an inwardly directed lug 42 thereon which is received in a slot in the side of the boss 40. The out-er end of the lever is bifurcated so as to receive the reduced end of a post at on the arm 8. This end of the lever is held down on the post 452 by means of a two-piece fuse 46, the two pieces overlapping and being secured together by solder of a low melting point. The lower piece of this fuse is rigidly secured by a screw -18 to a boss or post on the arm 8, and the upper piece extends over the end of the lever 36 and is provided with a slightly elongated slot through which the reduced end of the post 4% extends.

One end of a screw 50 is screw-threaded into an aperture in the lever 36 adjacent its inner or pivoted end, the screw extending through a slot in the arm 8 and its lower end being provided with a head of greater diameter than the width of the slot.

\Vhen the lever 36 is held in the position shown in Fig. 1, the screw plug 3 f may be adjusted to properly tension the detent spring 32.

When the fuse 4-6 breaks, upon the temperature of the room reaching a predetermined degree, the detent spring 32 acts immediately to throw the lever 36 upwardly about the axis of the fulcrum formed by the lug 42, with sufficient force to cause the upper piece of the fuse to be thrown clear of the lever, and as the head of the screw 50 strikes the under side of the arm 8. as shown in full lines in Fig. 4, the lever is forced a sufficient distance toward the spindle of the door closer to disengage the fulcrum lug 42 from the upper wall of the slot in which it is received, the lever finally assuming substantially the position shown in dotted lines in said Fig. 4. Thus upon the fuse breaking, the hold-back device virtually falls apart, and the tension of the detent spring is immediately relieved, allowing the arm 8 to close the door. The screw 50 prevents the lever 36 from falling to the floor when the fuse is broken.

It will be apparent that the device will operate as above described whether the door open or closed so that there is no danger of the parts of the fuse becoming fused together again after the fuse is once broken, the detent spring being sulficiently compressed even when the door is closed to effect the desired operation. 1

To reset the device after the fuse has been broken, it is merely necessary to i e-engage the fulcrum lug L2 in its slot, and press the lever down at its outer end upon the abutment post l where it is held by a new fuse which is secured by the screw 48. When the device is set. the parts thereof. including the lever 36 and the fuse, are securely held in operable position.

It will be apparent that the hold-hack device has no close fitting parts that are liable to be affected by corrosion so as not to operate properly when the device has not been operated for a long time. Preferably the detent ball 26 is made of stainless steel so as to reduce the liability of corrosion Which might interfere with the ball moving freely up into the aperture in the spring-actuated arm 8.

The entire device is conveniently located above the spring-actuated arm of the door closer so that here is no danger of it being accidentally struck, and it presents no unsightly appearance.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A hold-back device for door closers provided with a spring actuated door closing arm having, in combination, a stop member, a cooperating detent carried by said arm and adapted to engage said stop member when the door is open, a spring for maintaining said detent in holding engagement with said stop member to hold the door open when said spring is under tension, a lever having one end detachably fulcrumed on said arm adapted to be swung toward and from said arm about the axis of its fulcrum, thermally controlled means detachably connecting the other end of said leveriwith said arm, and an abutment on said arm for holding said spring under tension whereby upon breaking of said thermal connection the tension on said spring is relieved, said fulcrumed end of said lever becoming disconnected from said arm upon breaking of said thermal connection.

2. A hold-back device for door closers provided with a spring actuated door closing arm having, in combination, a stop member, a cooperating detent carried by said arm and adapted to engage said stop member when the door is open, a spring for maintaining said detent in holding engagement with said stop member to hold the door open when said spring is under tension, a lever having a tongue and slot connection with said arm providing a detachable pivotal connection at one end thereof, thermally controlled means detachably connecting the other end of said lever with said arm, and an abutment on said lever for holding said spring under tension whereby upon breaking of said thermal connection the tension of said spring is relieved and the lever is disconnected from said arm at said pivotal connection.

3. A door closer having, in combination, a spring actuated door closing arm, a stop member, a cooperating detent carried by said arm and adapted to engage said stop member when the door is open, a coiled spring for maintaining said detent in holding engagement with said stop member to hold the door open when said spring is under tension, said spring being mounted in an upwardly open- 7 ing aperture in said arm, a lever mounted on when the door is open,

' mined position, means the top side of said arm and over said spring so asto provide an abutment for said spring to hold the spring under tension when the lever is held in one position with relation to said arm, and means comprising a thermally controlled connection for holding said lever in said position.

4:. A door closer having, in combination, a spring actuated door closing arm, a stop member, a cooperating detent carried by said arm and adapted to engage said stop member a coiled spring for maintaining said detent in holding engagement with said stop member to hold the door open when the spring is under tension, said arm having an upstanding boss having an upwardly opening recess for receiving said coiled spring, a lever having a recess for receiving the upper end of said boss with. the bottom wall of said recess providing an abutment for said spring to hold the spring under tension when the lever is held in a predeterfor holding the lever detachable conin said position comprising a sald lever and nection between one end of said arm, and a thermally controllable connection with the other end of said lever.

5. A door closer having, in combination, a spring actuated door closing arm. a stop member, a cooperating detent carried by said arm and adapted to engage said stop member when the door is open, a spring for maintaining said detent in holding engagement with said stop member to hold the door open when said spring is under tension, and means comprising a lever mounted on said arm which when held in one position serves to hold said spring under tension, and means for detachably holding said lever in'said position comprising a detachable pivotal connection between the arm and lever. and thermally controlled means conneetedwith the lever whereby upon breaking of said latter means the tension of the spring is relieved and the lever is disconnected from said arm at said pivotal connection.

6. A door closer having, in combination, a spring actuated door closing arm, a stop member, a cooperating detent carried by said arm and adapted to engage said stop member when the door is open, a spring for maintaining said detent in holding engagement 1' with said member to hold the door open when said spring is under tension, means comprislng a lever mounted on said arm which when held in one posltion serves to hold said spring under tension, and means for holding sa1d lever 1n said position comprising a pivotal connection between the arm and one end of the lever, and a two-part fuse arranged horizontally with its upper part extending over the other end of said lever and its other part secured to said arm whereby upon breaking of said fuse the upper part thereof is thrown by said lever upwardly and away from said lever and the other fuse part.

7'. A door closer having, in combination, a spring actuated door closing arm having an upwardly projecting boss on the top side thereof and a recess opening upwardly upon the top side of said arm having a tongue and slot connection with the inner side of said boss to provide a detachable pivotal connection at one end thereof, said lever extending over said spring so as to provide an abutment for said spring to hold the spring under tension when the lever is held in one position with relation to said arm, and thermally controlled means connected with the other end of said lever whereby upon breaking of said latter means the tension of the spring is relieved and the pivotal connection provided by said tongue and slot connection is disconnected.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this ninth day of August, 1928.

WALLACE F. MOO-BE. 

